Although considerable research has concentrated on online campaigning, it is still unclear how politicians use different social media platforms in political communication. Focusing on the German federal election campaign 2013, this article investigates whether election candidates address the topics most important to the mass audience and to which extent their communication is shaped by the characteristics of Facebook and Twitter. Based on open-ended responses from a representative survey conducted during the election campaign, we train a human-interpretable Bayesian language model to identify political topics. Applying the model to social media messages of candidates and their direct audiences, we find that both prioritize different topics than the mass audience. The analysis also shows that politicians use Facebook and Twitter for different purposes. We relate the various findings to the mediation of political communication on social media induced by the particular characteristics of audiences and sociotechnical environments.
Background : In December 2019, some COVID-19 cases were first reported and soon the disease broke out. As this dreadful disease spreads rapidly, the mass media has been active in community education on COVID-19 by delivering health information about this novel coronavirus. | Methods: We adopted the Huike database to extract news articles about coronavirus from major press media, between January 1st, 2020, to February 20th, 2020. The data were sorted and analyzed by Python software and Python package Jieba. We sought a suitable topic number using the coherence number. We operated Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling with the suitable topic number and generated corresponding keywords and topic names. We divided these topics into different themes by plotting them into two-dimensional plane via multidimensional scaling. | Findings: After removing duplicates, 7791 relevant news reports were identified. We listed the number of articles published per day. According to the coherence value, we chose 20 as our number of topics and obtained their names and keywords. These topics were categorized into nine primary themes based on the topic visualization figure. The top three popular themes were prevention and control procedures, medical treatment and research, global/local social/economic influences, accounting for 32.6%, 16.6%, 11.8% of the collected reports respectively. | Interpretation: The Chinese mass media news reports lag behind the COVID-19 outbreak development. The major themes accounted for around half the content and tended to focus on the larger society than on individuals. The COVID-19 crisis has become a global issue, and society has also become concerned about donation and support as well as mental health. We recommend that future work should address the mass media's actual impact on readers during the COVID-19 crisis through sentiment analysis of news data.
Effective digital communication is critical for transparency and public trust in government, particularly in sectors like tourism and natural resource management. This study investigates the impact of the Social Media Guidelines on communication practices within Tanzania’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism (MNRT), underpinned by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). TAM provides a framework to examine how perceived usefulness and ease of use influence staff adoption and adherence to the guidelines. Using a descriptive case study design with a Concurrent Triangulation Mixed-Methods Approach, data were collected from 70 MNRT staff via structured questionnaires and 10 key informants through semi-structured interviews. Findings reveal that the guidelines moderately improved consistency, transparency, and accuracy of social media communications. However, challenges such as limited technical capacity, uneven interpretation, and resource constraints hinder full implementation. The study recommends mandatory continuous training and formal enforcement mechanisms to ensure uniform adherence, thereby enhancing communication efficiency, public trust, and organizational credibility.
Margaret E. Tait, Erika Franklin Fowler, Sarah E. Gollust
Objective: To examine the content of public service announcements (PSAs) sponsored by the United States federal government to promote the COVID-19 vaccine and reveal if PSAs included content that countered health skepticism. Methods: A content analysis of televised PSAs airing from December 15th, 2020 through June 30th, 2021 in the U.S. was performed. Coders reviewed PSAs for the visual and audible appeals used to encourage vaccination, such as the opportunity vaccination provided for getting back to ‘normal’, as well as the spokespeople depicted. Messages that could mitigate health skepticism, such as content about safety and efficacy, were also coded for. Results: The first PSA aired in April of 2021, close to five months after the first person was vaccinated in the U.S. Less than 20 % (17.1 %) of PSAs explicitly encouraged vaccination and just over a quarter (25.4 %) provided details about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. Health professionals were more commonly depicted as spokespeople in content, appearing in just under a third (29.4 %) of PSAs. Conclusions: Content that addressed and potentially reduced views of health skepticism and that may have promoted vaccine uptake, broadly, was largely absent from federally sponsored televised PSAs about the COVID-19 vaccine.
The unending practice of open defecation (OD) in some developing countries is worrisome to both development and health communication scholars worldwide. It is on record that Nigerians defecate openly. This is at variance with Sustainable Development Goal 6.2 which focuses on achieving access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and ending open defecation by 2030. The study explores media advocacy against open defecation in Ekiti and Osun States in South-west Nigeria. The study determines the contributions of media campaigns toward eradication of open defecation in the two states. It also seeks to ascertain public knowledge on media approaches to campaigns against open defecation and to find out the level of public awareness on the dangers posed by the dirty habit. Agenda Setting Theory, Development Communication Theory and the Health Belief Model constituted the theoretical frameworks. The study adopted cross-sectional research, using quantitative and qualitative research methods. The instruments employed were questionnaire and Focus Group Discussions. Three local government areas were selected from each of the senatorial districts ofEkiti and Osun States respectively with an estimated population of 3,338,998. The sample size of 400 was calculated using the Taro Yamane formula. Findings revealed that 95% of the respondents were aware that open defecation was rampant in the study areas and agreed that media advocacy was needed as part of the efforts to stop the practice. Findings also revealed that open defecation in the study areas was caused by lack of public toilets. Furthermore, the study revealed that lack of funds caused hindrance to effective use of mass media for effective advocacy against open defecation. The study concluded that to achieve an open defecation-free environment, the use of media advocacy should be intensified using the multimedia approach for effective communication with the public. The study recommends both traditional mass media and social media channels as tools for effective media advocacy to enhance behavioural change and to embrace the use of standard modern toilets to rid the society of open defecation.
In light of the current surge in heightened social media use and its impact on familial dynamics, it is plausible to posit that social media platforms enhance the experiences of individuals and the family unit. However, submitting this assumption to thorough scrutiny and confirmation is crucial to reach a conclusive determination. Therefore, this study examines the effects of social media utilization on familial connections, with a particular emphasis on the viewpoints of individuals within a region in Abuja, Nigeria. The research maintains its contemporary significance due to the increasing societal need for familial cohesion and connection. In order to achieve the study's objectives, two research questions and their corresponding hypotheses were formulated. The researchers used the Taro Yamane sampling approach to determine an optimal sample size of 171 respondents, derived from a larger population of 300 individuals picked using random selection. The data analysis was conducted via the SPSS software, employing fundamental regression analysis procedures, with a pre-established significance threshold of 0.05. The study's findings indicate a statistically significant correlation between the use of social media and family bonding and face-to-face interaction. Therefore, the study suggests that to alleviate the negative consequences associated with excessive utilization of social media, families should impose limitations on the duration of engagement with social media platforms and prioritize face-to-face interaction. By adopting this approach, families can facilitate transparent communication within the familial setting and cultivate more robust and mutually beneficial relationships.
This study analyzes the original version, Turkish and French dubbings of the movie Mona Lisa Smile, through the Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis (FCDA) method. The study aims to reveal the potential of the Turkish and French dubs of the movie to reproduce gender stereotypes towards women. The movie was chosen through purposive sampling, one of the non-random sampling methods. The observation-notetaking technique was used as the data collection method.10 examples were determined. These discourses were analysed through the FCDA method by comparing the original version with its French and Turkish dubs on the Netflix platform. Gender-based discourses were seen to be preserved in all examples in the French language. In Turkish dubbing, serious losses occurred in all examples from the perspective of gender roles. This study is the first research evaluating the French and Turkish dubbings of an audiovisual product through FCDA; therefore, it presents authentic data for future studies.
Enrique Alastor, Francisco-David Guillén-Gámez, Julio Ruiz-Palmero
La integración efectiva de las tecnologías digitales y el Diseño Universal para el Aprendizaje (DUA) en la educación plantea desafíos significativos en la formación docente. Este estudio examina la relación entre la competencia digital autopercibida y el conocimiento del DUA en futuros maestros, analizando la influencia de factores demográficos y académicos. Mediante un diseño cuantitativo no experimental de tipo ex post facto, se evaluó a 903 estudiantes de Magisterio de Educación Infantil y Primaria utilizando un cuestionario sobre competencia digital, conocimiento del DUA y uso de herramientas digitales. Los resultados revelaron una correlación positiva moderada (r = 0.45, p < 0.001) entre la competencia digital y el conocimiento del DUA. Se encontraron diferencias significativas por etapa educativa (F(1, 784) = 26.073, p < 0.001) y rendimiento académico (F(2, 784) = 35.162, p < 0.001), pero no por género (F(1, 784) = 0.274, p = 0.600). El análisis entre cursos académicos mostró variaciones significativas en las competencias digitales (F(3, 782) = 16.42, p < 0.001). Estos hallazgos subrayan la necesidad de integrar sistemáticamente la formación en competencias digitales y DUA en los programas de formación docente, considerando factores como el rendimiento académico y la etapa educativa.
As public awareness of environmental protection continues to grow, the trend of integrating more electric vehicles (EVs) into the transportation sector is rising. Unlike conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, EVs can minimize carbon emissions and potentially achieve autonomous driving. However, several obstacles hinder the widespread adoption of EVs, such as their constrained driving range and the extended time required for charging. One alternative solution to address these challenges is implementing dynamic wireless power transfer (DWPT), charging EVs in motion on the road. Moreover, charging stations with static wireless power transfer (SWPT) infrastructure can replace existing gas stations, enabling users to charge EVs in parking lots or at home. This paper surveys the communication infrastructure for static and dynamic wireless charging in electric vehicles. It encompasses all communication aspects involved in the wireless charging process. The architecture and communication requirements for static and dynamic wireless charging are presented separately. Additionally, a comprehensive comparison of existing communication standards is provided. The communication with the grid is also explored in detail. The survey gives attention to security and privacy issues arising during communications. In summary, the paper addresses the challenges and outlines upcoming trends in communication for EV wireless charging.
The prevalence of coordinated information campaigns in social media platforms has significant negative consequences across various domains, including social, political, and economic processes. This paper proposes a multifaceted framework for detecting and analysing coordinated message promotion on social media. By simultaneously considering features related to content, time, and network dimensions, our framework can capture the diverse nature of coordinated activity and identify anomalous user accounts who likely engaged in suspicious behaviour. Unlike existing solutions that rely on specific constraints, our approach is more flexible as it employs specialised components to extract the significant structures within a network and to detect the most unusual interactions. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our framework using two Twitter datasets, the Russian Internet Research Agency (IRA), and long-term discussions on Data Science topics. The results demonstrate our framework's ability to isolate unusual activity from expected normal behaviour and provide valuable insights for further qualitative investigation.
In media entertainment, violence is a commonplace. Media platforms tend to portray women in certain negative ways and as having more negative qualities than other members of society such as the male gender. These portrayals provide viewers with ways of thinking about and acting towards members of a particular group, thus affecting communication and perception. The study thus, seeks to investigate the portrayal of violence against women in Ghanaian movies in order to ascertain whether media portrayal of violence against women is merely a reflection of reality within our social structure or a distorted picture to reinforce violence against women. A purposive sampling technique was used in selecting the movies for the study. Three movies were selected and a content analysis of these movies were guided by three research questions aimed at investigating the forms of violence that are predominantly portrayed in Ghanaian movies, ascertain how these portrayals position women in the movies and analyse how these portrayals go to reinforce violence against women in Ghanaian movies. The findings of the study shows that portrayal of violence against women in Ghanaian movies is a reflection of realities in our social structure. These portrayals do not only reflect happenings in society but goes further to reinforce violence against women in Ghanaian communities.
Putu Ayu Diah Laksmi Dewi, I Nyoman Sujana, Putu Ayu Sriasih Wesna
This research is a normative legal research, which concerns the implications of
the Divorce Divorce Marriage of Different Religious Against Child Custody. Problem 1). What
is the legal protection for interfaith marriages in Indonesia ? 2). What are the implications
of the divorce of interfaith marriages for child custody? The purpose of this study was to
determine the implications of divorce between different religions for child custody. The
benefit of this research is to provide input for the government to take a policy and provide
knowledge to the public about interfaith marriages. Results of the discussion: 1). Based on
article 35 of the Population Administration Act of interfaith marriages can be recorded based
on the determination of the Court as long as it does not violate legal norms and norms of
decency, because the Marriage Act does not mention that interfaith marriages are prohibited.
2). If no agreement is found, the court will decide who has the right to obtain custody of the
child. Conclusions: 1). Interfaith marriages can be recorded if based on the determination
of the court in accordance with the provisions of the Law on State Administration article 35
letter a. 2). Child custody of a minor falls to the care of his mother, as long as the mother has
never been proven guilty in court. While a child who is capable of law can choose between
his father or mother as the holder of the right to care.
Catherine L. Caldwell-Harris, Robert J. Hoffmeister
How Deaf children should be taught to read has long been debated. Severely or profoundly Deaf children, who face challenges in acquiring language from its spoken forms, must learn to read a language they do not speak. We refer to this as learning a language via print. How children can learn language via print is not a topic regularly studied by educators, psychologists, or language acquisition theorists. Nonetheless, Deaf children can do this. We discuss how Deaf children can learn a written language via print by mapping print words and phrases to sign language sequences. However, established, time-tested curricula for using a signed language to teach the print forms of spoken languages do not exist. We describe general principles for approaching this task, how it differs from acquiring a spoken language naturalistically, and empirical evidence that Deaf children's knowledge of a signed language facilitates and advances learning a printed language.
Brian McFarlane (ed.), The Encyclopaedia of British Film, 5th edition (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2021), pp. 968, ISBN: 978-1526159267, £133.20
In this work we present a method for generating random matrices describing electromagnetic scattering from disordered media containing dielectric particles with prescribed single particle scattering characteristics. Resulting scattering matrices automatically satisfy the physical constraints of unitarity, reciprocity and time reversal, whilst also incorporating the polarization properties of electromagnetic waves and scattering anisotropy. Our technique therefore enables statistical study of a variety of polarization phenomena, including depolarization rates and polarization-dependent scattering by chiral particles. In this vein, we perform numerical simulations for media containing isotropic and chiral spherical particles of different sizes for thicknesses ranging from the single to multiple scattering regime and discuss our results, drawing comparisons to established theory.
Francesca Alessio, Chiara de Fabritiis, Agnese Ilaria Telloni
This study concerns the design and implementation of a STEM literacy program for 11th to 13th-grade high achieving students, mainly females. The program, funded by the Italian Ministry of Equal Opportunities, aims at reducing the gender gap in the STEM disciplines and at orienting students towards university studies. We carried out a qualitative analysis of the students' perception in terms of (1) a-priori expectations about the STEM literacy program and (2) a-posteriori thoughts and reflections about the attended course. Our analysis shows that students aspiring to participate had strong motivations with respect to the program; moreover, most students who participated in the program displayed satisfaction and an increase of awareness about their learning. We put a specific focus on the mathematical sessions of the curriculum, involving students as designers of educational resources. Some differences between male and female students arose for what concerns the perception of the program and the awareness of the impact of the STEM literacy program on their own learning.
O objetivo deste artigo é investigar a relação entre a prática de dado e as ações algorítmicas em plataformas digitais. Para isso, fazemos uma análise descritiva dos documentos do Instagram que são dirigidos aos seus usuários, identificando o que sugere ação e consequência prática das materialidades digitais em termos de produção, compartilhamento e coleta. Através deles, observamos a centralidade da experiência nesse tipo de construção informacional, desenvolvida na relação com processos de dataficação – a qual chamamos de experiência algorítmica. A partir de uma perspectiva pragmatista e neomaterialista, sugerimos segui-la buscando perceber as diferenças práticas produzidas no uso de plataformas digitais e identificando interações relevantes em práticas situadas.
Communication. Mass media, Social sciences (General)
Shamin Achari, Alice Yi Yang, James Goodhead
et al.
Visible Light Communication (VLC) is a current technology which allows data to be transmitted by modulating information onto a light source. It has many advantages over traditional radio frequency communication and up to 10,000 times larger bandwidth. Existing research in visible light communication assumes a synchronised channel, however, this is not always easily achieved. In this paper, a novel synchronised intra and inter-vehicle VLC system is proposed to ensure reliable communication in both inter and intra-vehicle communication for Infotainment Systems (IS). The protocol achieves synchronisation at the symbol level using the transistor-transistor logic protocol and achieves frame synchronisations with markers. Consequently, the deployment of the protocol in both inter and intra-vehicle communication presents numerous advantages over existing data transmission processes. A practical application, where VLC is used for media streaming is also previewed. In addition, various regions of possible data transmission are determined with the intention to infer forward error correction schemes to ensure reliable communication.
In this work, we prove that in anisotropic media possessing cubic, transversely isotropic, orthotropic, and monoclinic symmetries, there exist non-ellipsoidal inclusions that can transform particular quadratic eigenstrains into quadratic elastic strain fields in them. Further, we prove that in these anisotropic media, there exist non-ellipsoidal inclusions that can transform particular polynomial eigenstrains of even degrees into polynomial elastic strain fields of the same even degrees in them. A sufficient condition for the existence of those counter-examples is provided. These results constitute counter-examples, in the strong sense, to the generalized high-order Eshelby conjecture (inverse problem of Eshelby's polynomial conservation theorem) for polynomial eigenstrains in both anisotropic media and the isotropic medium (quadratic eigenstrain only). In addition, we also show that there are counter-examples to the strong version of the generalized Eshelby conjecture for uniform eigenstrains in these anisotropic media. These findings reveal striking richness of the uniformity between the eigenstrains and the correspondingly induced elastic strains in inclusions in anisotropic media beyond the canonical ellipsoidal inclusion.